Genetics, Genomics, and Evolution of the Eye

Conference Description

The 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Visual System Development will provide a forum for scientists investigating the genetics, genomics, and evolution of the visual system, and to share the latest and most exciting new results and innovative technologies. The goals of this meeting are to foster interactions across disciplines, stimulate new ideas and collaborations, provide a springboard into vision-related research for scientists from other fields, and mentor students and postdocs in a supportive scientific setting. This conference will also encourage greater understanding of the basic principles that drive the development and maintenance of the visual system, with the anticipation that these findings will contribute to better treatments for ocular and other neurological diseases. The opening keynote session will feature talks from Dr. Rachel Wong, University of Washington and Dr. Julie Daniels, University College London. Throughout the meeting speakers will discuss a range of disciplines, model systems and approaches in sessions that include retinal patterning and cell fate specification, axon guidance and synaptogenesis, central visual system development, regeneration, non-neuronal development, genomics, and emerging model systems. A number of poster abstracts will be selected for short talks, ensuring participation by junior investigators and the presentation of late-breaking stories. This meeting, along with the associated student/post-doctoral fellow Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), will foster interactions among students, early-career investigators, and more established scientists, supporting stimulating discussions and interactions, across diverse disciplines within the field of vision science.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Visual System Development (GRS)" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Arrival and Check-in

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Dinner

7:30 pm - 7:40 pm

Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair

7:40 pm - 9:30 pm

Keynote Session: Corneal Stem Cells and Neuronal Circuits

Discussion Leaders: Graeme Mardon (Baylor College of Medicine, USA) and Seth Blackshaw (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA)

7:40 pm - 8:25 pm

Rachel Wong (University of Washington, USA)

"Retinal Circuit Assembly and Reassembly"

8:25 pm - 8:35 pm

Discussion

8:35 pm - 9:20 pm

Julie Daniels (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, United Kingdom)

"Corneal Stem Cells: From Niche to Therapy"

9:20 pm - 9:30 pm

Discussion

Monday

7:30 am - 8:30 am

Breakfast

9:00 am - 12:30 pm

From Retinal Patterning to Cell Fate Specification

Discussion Leader: Muriel Perron (CNRS, France)

9:00 am - 9:25 am

Nadean Brown (University of California, Davis, USA)

"Notch Signaling During Very Early Eye Patterning"

9:25 am - 9:30 am

Discussion

9:30 am - 9:55 am

Kristen Kwan (University of Utah, USA)

"Morphogenetic Mechanisms Regulating Vertebrate Optic Cup Formation"

9:55 am - 10:00 am

Discussion

10:00 am - 10:25 am

James Fadool (Florida State University, USA)

"Shifting the Photoreceptor Landscape Through Genetic Interactions"

10:25 am - 10:30 am

Discussion

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Coffee Break

11:00 am - 11:25 am

Ruth Johnson (Wesleyan University, USA)

"Transforming the Drosophila Pupal Eye from Organized Chaos into a Perfectly Patterned Neuroepithelium"

Power HourThe GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.

Contributors

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health and under Award Number R13EY026282. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Health.